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Country Girls
Country Girls (カントリー・ガールズ), formerly known as Country Musume (カントリー娘。; Country Girls), is an all-female J-pop group within Hello! Project. The group, which debuted in 1999, is known for its concept of being a group of "country girls from Hokkaido." The group's activities became inactive when Satoda became the sole member in 2007. On November 5, 2014, the group was revived with 6 new members."『カントリー娘。』改め『カントリー・ガールズ』について" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2014-11-05. (archived) Country Musume's highest selling single is "Hajimete no Happy Birthday!" with 142,340 copies sold, while their lowest selling single is "Shining Itoshiki Anata" with 16,450 copies sold. Country Girls's highest selling single is "Itooshikutte Gomen ne / Koi Dorobou" with 51,579 copies sold, while their lowest selling single is "Wakatteiru no ni Gomen ne / Tamerai Summer Time" with 35,913 copies sold. Members ]] ]] ]] ]] ]] ]] ]] Current Members *Tsugunaga Momoko (嗣永桃子; Pink) *Yamaki Risa (山木梨沙; Lime) *Morito Chisaki (森戸知沙希; Orange) *Ozeki Mai (小関舞; Medium Blue) *Yanagawa Nanami (梁川奈々美; ) *Funaki Musubu (船木結; Yellow) ;Members Outside of Hello! Project *Satoda Mai (里田まい) (Supervisor)While Satoda Mai is still a member, she will not be participating in any group activities. Former Members *Yanagihara Hiromi (柳原尋美) (Deceased: July 16, 1999) *Kobayashi Azusa (小林梓) (Left: July 31, 1999; Leader 1999) *Rinne (りんね) (Graduated in late 2002; Leader 2000-2002) *Asami (あさみ) (Graduated: January 28, 2007; Leader 2002-2007) *Miuna (みうな) (Graduated: January 28, 2007) *Shimamura Uta (島村嬉唄) (Left: June 12, 2015) *Inaba Manaka (稲場愛香) (Graduated: August 4, 2016) Borrowed Members ;From Morning Musume *Ishikawa Rika *Konno Asami *Fujimoto Miki History 1999 On April 27, Country Musume was formed by Tsunku and Japanese talent and fellow UP-FRONT AGENCY artist, Tanaka Yoshitake (the group’s original producer) and was billed as "Country Girls from Hokkaido." The initial group consisted of members and Hokkaido natives Rinne, Kobayashi Azusa, and Yanagihara Hiromi. The 4-week audition cycle was unusual since not only did it consist of the traditional voice and dance lessons, but it added a physical challenge: Working at the Hanabatake farm in southern Hokkaido. The purpose of the physical challenge was to show how responsible the girls were and how well they worked as a team to fit the “country girls from Hokkaido” image, since Hokkaido is seen as the countryside of Japan–and the audition was open to all of Japan, not just Hokkaido. Thus, producer Tanaka called for the physical challenge to see who can live up to a “Hokkaido” image. Following the trend of their sister group, Morning Musume, Kobayashi, as the oldest member, was made the leader of the group. After working on their debut single, with plenty of support from other singers such as Moritaka Chisato and Nakazawa Yuko, they were able to successfully record and complete their first promotional video. On July 16, Yanagihara was killed in a car accident, just days before their first single was released, at the age of 19. Yanagihara’s family was given the decision on whether or not Country Musume should continue their work and release their single as scheduled, to which they approved. On August 23, Kobayashi decided to leave the group for personal reasons. After a two-month hiatus, Rinne started performing as a solo act, but under the Country Musume name, releasing two singles. 2000 In May, Asami was added to the group, Rinne became the leader and the duo released one more single. However, by the end of the year, producer Tanaka decided to give Tsunku the producer’s position of the group, due to his difficulty in finding more members to join Rinne and Asami. The first change that Tsunku made was to “lend” members of Morning Musume into the group. 2001 Their popularity rose when Morning Musume's Ishikawa Rika, who is from Kanagawa, was lent into the group in April. Country Musume had their first charting single in Japan with the release of "Hajimete no Happy Birthday!". The trio, under the name Country Musume ni Rika Ishikawa (Morning Musume), released two singles and an album. 2002 On January 2, Satoda Mai was recruited into the group, although she initially auditioned to be a Morning Musume member. The quartet released one single before Rinne, the only remaining original member, bid farewell on October 13th to pursue a career within UP-FRONT AGENCY as a stage actress, leaving Asami to become the new leader of the group. Afterwards, Asami, Ishikawa and Satoda released one more single. 2003 On April 27, Country Musume had a major shift in its roster. Miuna, who is from Shizuoka, was recruited into the group. The group featured Morning Musume members and Hokkaido natives Konno Asami and Fujimoto Miki, replacing Ishikawa Rika. Under this new formation, named Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto (Morning Musume), the quintet released three singles. 2004 In 2004, Country Musume participated on the fifth edition of Hello! Project's Folk Songs series, which various H!P artists sang covers of Japanese and Western folk songs. 2005 In 2005, Country Musume performed in the Hello! Project 2005 Winter ~A HAPPY NEW POWER!~ concert tour as a part of Hello! Project Akagumi. Country Musume also toured with v-u-den and Inaba Atsuko. 2006-2007 On November 25th, 2006, it was announced that Asami and Miuna would be graduating from Country Musume and Hello! Project together on January 28, 2007, at the final performance of Hello! Project 2007 Winter ~Shuuketsu! 10th Anniversary~http://www.helloproject.com/newslist/cuntry_0611250100.html. Since Konno and Fujimoto had also graduated from Morning Musume, they were no longer “loaned” to Country Musume. Thus, Satoda Mai became the only member, and continued to work under the Country Musume name. This was the second time that Country Musume consisted of only one member. 2009 In 2009, Satoda Mai graduated from Hello! Project. After graduating, Satoda continued to be the only member of Country Musume under UP-FRONT PROMOTION. 2013 On October 1, the group was transferred from UP-FRONT PROMOTION to . 2014 On January 2, Tsunku revealed that he was considering to restart Country Musume. On February 11, through a VTR message, Satoda Mai announced the Country Musume Shin Member Audition during the Hello! Project 2014 WINTER tour. Satoda Mai would not participate in the groups activities for the possible new line-up, as she then resided outside of Japan. On August 7, it was announced that the auditions had ended and no new members were chosen. On November 5, it was announced that Country Musume was renamed Country Girls and 5 new girls were added: Inaba Manaka and Yamaki Risa from Hello Pro Kenshuusei and Morito Chisaki, Shimamura Uta and Ozeki Mai from the Morning Musume '14 (Golden) Audition!."カントリー娘。「カントリー・ガールズ」に改名で再始動！ “ももち”も加入" (in Japanese). AliveM.net. 2014-11-05. Satoda Mai would be the group's General Manager/Supervisor. Tsugunaga Momoko would also be a member of the group, becoming the playing manager when her group Berryz Koubou went on indefinite hiatus in 2015.Satoda Mai (Translator: Skoban). "A report！ (Satoda Mai)." Blog!Project. 2014-11-05. The new unit would debut in the upcoming Hello! Project 2015 WINTER concert tour. 2015 On March 25, Country Girls released their major debut single since re-joining Hello! Project, "Itooshikutte Gomen ne / Koi Dorobou." It debuted in 4th place on Oricon's daily chart rankings and 3rd in the weekly chart rankings. On April 2, Country Girls and ℃-ute performed at forTUNE fes vol.0 along with other artists."forTUNE music PRESENTS スペシャルアイドルライブイベント『forTUNE fes vol.0』" (in Japanese). forTUNE music. [Archived] The group, along with Kobushi Factory, were the opening acts for Juice=Juice's Juice=Juice First Live Tour 2015 ~Special Juice~. On June 12, it was announced, due to contract disagreements between management and her family, Shimamura Uta had left the group."カントリー・ガールズ 島村嬉唄に関するお知らせ" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2015-06-12. On June 24, Country Girls performed at the TV Tokyo Music Festival(2) along many other artists, including Morning Musume '15 and Morning Musume OG."The Former Members of Morning Musume Gather for a Live Performance After One Year!". Tokyo Girls' Update. 2015-06-20. On August 5, Country Girls released their 2nd single "Wakatteiru no ni Gomen ne / Tamerai Summer Time." On November 5, during Country Girls' first anniversary event in Shinjuku, it was announced that Funaki Musubu and Yanagawa Nanami would be joining the group."【イベントレポート】カントリー・ガールズに新メンバー船木結、梁川奈々美ら2名加入" (in Japanese). BARKS. 2015-11-05."カントリー・ガールズ　新メンバー加入決定！" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2015-11-05. On December 2, Country Girls performed at the UPDATE girls LIVE, alongside idol groups lyrical School and Tokyo Performance Doll."UNBELIEVABLE LINEUP! Country Girls, Tokyo Performance Doll, lyrical School Gather in Shibuya!". Tokyo Girls' Update. 2015-11-30. 2016 On February 9, during the 67th Sapporo Snow Festival, Country Girls performed a special live titled Country Girls Boogie Woogie LIVE. It took place in Odori Park in front of the HTB Snow Square."第67回さっぽろ雪まつり「カントリー・ガールズ ブギウギLIVE」開催！ (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2016-02-06. On February 18, Country Girls performed a joint live with Idol Renaissance for the DOUBLE COLOR session11 ''at Shinjuku BLAZE."カントリー・ガールズ出演「DOUBLE COLOR session11」開催！" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2015-12-16. On February 28, Country Girls performed at the ''SKY PerfecTV! Ongakusai 2016."スカパー！音楽祭2016" (in Japanese) SKY PerfecTV! Official Site. 2016-01-19. On March 9, Country Girls released their 3rd single "Boogie Woogie LOVE / Koi wa Magnet / Ranrarun ~Anata ni Muchuu~". It is Yanagawa Nanami and Funaki Musubu's debut single. On April 28, it was announced that Inaba Manaka would be taking a break from Country Girls' activities due to asthma. This was after consulting with her doctors. It was initially stated that she would be returning to Country Girls when she recovered from her illness, but on August 4th, she graduated from the group."カントリー・ガールズ 稲場愛香に関するお知らせ" (in Japanese). Hello! Project. 2016-04-28. On September 28, Country Girls released their 4th single "Dou Datte Ii no / Namida no Request." Discography :Main article: Country Girls Discography Albums= ;Studio Albums #2001.12.12 Country Musume Daizenshuu ① #2006.08.23 Country Musume Daizenshuu ② ;Best Albums #2008.10.12 Country Musume Mega Best ;Soundtracks #2016.06.01 Engeki Joshibu Musical "Kizetsu Suru Hodo Aishiteru!" Original Soundtrack |-|Singles= ;As Country Musume #1999.07.23 Futari no Hokkaido (Indies) #1999.11.30 Yukigeshiki (Indies) #2000.04.27 Hokkaido Shalala (Indies) #2000.07.31 Koi ga Suteki na Kisetsu (Indies) ;As Country Musume ni Ishikawa Rika (Morning Musume) 2001.04.18 Hajimete no Happy Birthday! (Major Debut) 2001.10.17 Koibito wa Kokoro no Ouendan 2002.04.17 Iroppoi Onna ~SEXY BABY~ 2002.11.13 BYE BYE Saigo no Yoru ;As Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto (Morning Musume) 2003.07.24 Uwaki na Honey Pie 2003.11.12 Senpai ~LOVE AGAIN~ 2004.08.04 Shining Itoshiki Anata ;As Country Girls #2015.03.25 Itooshikutte Gomen ne / Koi Dorobou (2nd Major Debut) #2015.08.05 Wakatteiru no ni Gomen ne / Tamerai Summer Time #2016.03.09 Boogie Woogie LOVE / Koi wa Magnet / Ranrarun ~Anata ni Muchuu~ #2016.09.28 Dou Datte Ii no / Namida no Request |-|DVDs= ;Video Collections *2003.11.17 Country Musume Single V Clips ① (カントリー娘。シングルVクリップス 1) ;Fanclub DVDs *2007.02.10 Country Musume LIVE2006 ~Shibuya des Date~ (カントリー娘。LIVE2006　～Shibuya des Date～) *2015.10.xx SATOYAMA Taiken Tour Dai 3 dan! Country Girls to Sugosu 1-paku 2-nichi Bus Tour in Ashikaga (SATOYAMA体験ツアー第3弾！ カントリー・ガールズと過ごす1泊2日バスツアーin足利) |-|Original Songs= *2015 Kiss Yori Saki ni Dekiru Koto (キスより先にできること) *2015 Mousou Rehearsal (妄想リハーサル) *2016 VIVA!! Barairo no Jinsei (VIVA!!薔薇色の人生) *2016 Rhythm ga Yonderuzo (リズムが呼んでるぞ) Works TV Programs *2015– The Girls Live Theater *2002 Morning Town *2003 Morning Musume Shuen Musical Edokko Chuushingura (without Saito Miuna) *2016 Kizetsu Suru Hodo Aishiteru! Internet *2015– Hello! Project Station Radio *2015– Country Girls no Tadaima Radio Housouchuu!! (カントリー・ガールズの只今ラジオ放送中!!) Publications Calendars *2015.09.xx Country Girls 2016 Calendar *2016.09.24 Country Girls 2017 Calendar Photobooks Concert Photobooks *2004.03.20 Minimoni & Country Musume ni Konno & Fujimoto (Morning Musume) in Hello Project 2004 Winter (ミニモニ。&カントリー娘。に紺野と藤本（モーニング娘。） in Hello! Project 2004 Winter) (with Minimoni) *2005.10.11 AYA MATSUURA & COUNTRY MUSUME. - Hello! Project 2005 Natsu no Kayou Show '05 Selection! Collection! (AYA MATSUURA & COUNTRY MUSUME。―Hello!Project2005夏の歌謡ショー 05’セレクション!コレクション!) (with Matsuura Aya) Other Books *2016.09.24 Country Girls 1st OFFICIAL BOOK Trivia *Out of the active and former members of Country Musume, Rinne, Asami, Satoda Mai and Inaba Manaka were from Hokkaido prefecture. *From March 31, 2009 to November 4, 2014, the group was not an active part of Hello! Project. As of November 5, 2014, Country Girls (excluding Satoda Mai) were contracted to Hello! Project, but were not produced by Tsunku. *Yamaki Risa and Inaba Manaka are the first Country Girls members to come from Hello Pro Kenshuusei. *Morito Chisaki, Shimamura Uta, and Ozeki Mai are the first members to be born after the group's formation. *Satoda Mai hopes that Country Girls will expand into the United States."里田まいの“采配”は吉と出るか凶と出るか？" (in Japanese). Tokyo Sports Web. 2014-11-06. See Also *Country Girls Members *Country Girls Discography *Country Girls Concerts & Events *Gallery:Country Girls *Gallery:Country Girls Music Videos *Country Girls Auditions Total Sales Count References External Links *Country Girls Profile *Country Girls Official Blog *Wikipedia: English, Japanese, German, French, Korean, Malay, Dutch (Country Musume ni Konno to Fujimoto), Romanian, Chinese cs:Country Girls de:Country Girls es:Country Girls fr:Country Girls it:Country Girls ja:カントリー・ガールズ Category:Country Girls Category:1999 Units Category:2009 Departures Category:4th Generation Category:5th Generation Category:6th Generation Category:Morning Musume Category:Hello! Project Akagumi Category:Zetima Category:Groups featured on Utaban Category:Groups Category:Groups featured in Hello! Pro Hour Category:POTATO Category:Berryz Koubou Category:19th Generation Hello Pro Kenshuusei Category:20th Generation Hello Pro Kenshuusei Category:24th Generation Hello Pro Kenshuusei Category:2014 Additions Category:Up-Front Create Category:Up-Front Agency Category:Up-Front Promotion Category:Groups featured in Girls Live